When thinking of your ‘dream’ kitchen, it’s probably fair to say that most of us don’t picture a space that’s small. Instead, we’re more likely to envision a room large enough to fit a kitchen table, an island or even a pantry area. So, if you have a galley kitchen, tiny cottage kitchen, or a cool and compact city kitchen—whatever form your small kitchen takes, there are simple ways to make the room feel bigger and the space savvier… Read on for our favorite small kitchen designs and how to make the most of yours!

it starts with storage

Our number one piece of advice for making the most out of a small kitchen is to seriously think about storage. Storage is, of course, crucial in any kitchen, but when there’s limited space it becomes absolutely pivotal that every nook and cranny serves a purpose.

Take inventory of all the things you have to store in your kitchen and where it make the most sense to store them. Dinner party pieces that you don’t use all the time could be moved to a living room’s dresser or built-in cabinetry. The same goes for glassware. Could you perhaps make a mini bar area in a living room with spirits and glassware on a bar cart?

The question of wall cabinetry

Having a small kitchen is an invitation to get more creative with storage beneath the countertop — it needs to work as hard as it possibly can, especially if you only have enough square footage for one run of cabinetry rather than two parallel lines. Please don’t forget the beauty of custom cabinetry either. By having cabinets created to fit whatever space you have, it means some pretty ingenious ideas can be thought up to make your life easier.

Dine differently

If your kitchen has space for a dining table then fantastic. This goes without saying, but we always encourage extendable tables in a small kitchen so you have that flexibility to entertain larger groups without the fear of where everyone will sit. Try to choose armless dining chairs too so the profile is kept discreet and you’re able to neatly tuck them under the table when you’re not using them. Every bit of floor space counts.

Of course, many small kitchens don’t have the room for a dining table but don’t despair. Perhaps you have a kitchen island where you can create a sociable, casual seating area and it adds a natural boundary for the kitchen zone at the same time. Or, you might consider a drop leaf table where you could squeeze two small stools underneath and use as an eating surface when needed.

A beautiful kitchen can absolutely come out of the smallest of spaces. With the right materials, thoughtful design choices, and commitment to keeping clutter at bay, you too, can have a lovely small kitchen.